Falcons' Zac Robinson offers high praise for Rams' Matthew Stafford

Zac Robinson served as an assistant with the Los Angeles Rams from 2019 until he became the new Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator this offseason and, thus, worked with Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford across each of the past three campaigns. 

Robinson offered high praise for Los Angeles' QB1 during the early days of his new role this week. 

"I think first and foremost, how somebody throws the football, what that looks like... If you look at Matthew Stafford, that’s exactly what it’s supposed to look like," Robinson explained, as shared by Matt Galatzan of Fan Nation's Ram Digest. "I think if God himself came down here and said, 'I want somebody to throw the football,' it should look like Matthew Stafford. That’s certainly what you’re looking at first and foremost."  

Stafford turned 36 years old earlier this month and may or may not have considered retiring after his 2022 campaign ended prematurely because of a spinal cord contusion. 

The one-time Super Bowl champion remained with the Rams and, per ESPN stats, finished this past regular season ranked sixth among qualified players with a 63.5 adjusted QBR, 15th with a 92.5 passer rating and sixth with an average of 264.3 passing yards per game en route to becoming a finalist for the Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. 

Stafford also nearly guided the Rams to an upset win at the Detroit Lions in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Detroit ultimately escaped with a 24-23 win. 

"Those guys just have the instincts, the feel for the game, and the stuff that you can’t really put into words, sometimes they got it," Robinson added about Stafford. "...He’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Certainly been very fortunate to work with a guy like that. Just forever thankful for my time with him and knowing what a special player he is."

While Robinson probably would love to have Stafford in Atlanta this spring, the veteran has millions of reasons to want to stay put for at least another season. Stafford's situation could change if head coach Sean McVay leaves the Rams for either a television gig or a break next winter, but both will run it back with the club later this year. 

"He is the smartest guy I’ve ever been around," Robinson said about Stafford. "Knowing what you’ve got to be prepared for as a coach each and every day, knowing he’s going to come in on Wednesday and he’s going to have seen all the film. He’s got a great memory, so you’re going to have to recall every single play that you’ve seen on film that week."